Major League Soccer
| confed = CONCACAF | founded = December 17, 1993 | folded = | divisions = Eastern Conference Western Conference | teams = 24 | feeds = | promotion = | relegation = None | nationalitylevel = | levels = 1 | domest_cup = U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship | confed_cup = CONCACAF Champions League Campeones Cup | champions = Atlanta United FC (1st title) | season = 2018 | most_successful_club = LA Galaxy (5 titles) | tv = ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN Deportes, Fox Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes, TSN/TSN2, RDS | current = 2019 MLS season | website = http://www.mlssoccer.com }} Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league representing the sport's highest level in both the United States and Canada. MLS constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. The league is composed of 20 teams—17 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. The post season includes twelve teams competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs through November and December, culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup. MLS teams also play in other competitions against teams from other divisions and countries, such as the U.S. Open Cup, the Canadian Championship, and the CONCACAF Champions League. MLS is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer). Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams. MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years: The league lost millions of dollars, teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002. Since then, MLS has expanded to 24 teams, owners have built soccer-specific stadiums, average attendance at MLS matches exceeds that of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL), MLS secured national TV contracts, and the league is now profitable. Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, MLS is a single entity in which each team is owned and controlled by the league's investors. The investor-operators control their teams as owners control teams in other leagues, and are commonly (but inaccurately) referred to as the team's owners. The league's closed membership makes it one of the world's few soccer leagues that does not use promotion and relegation, which is uncommon in North America. MLS headquarters are in New York City. Teams MLS's 20 teams are divided between the Eastern and Western Conference. Each club is allowed up to 30 players on its first team roster. All 30 players are eligible for selection to each 18-player game-day squad during the regular season and playoffs. Since the 2005 season, MLS has added many new clubs. During this period of expansion, Los Angeles became the first two-team market, and the league pushed into Canada in 2007. The league will expand from 20 teams today to 22 teams in 2017 with the additions of Atlanta and Los Angeles, and plans to have 24 teams by 2020. Throughout MLS history, twenty one different clubs have competed in the league, with nine having won at least one MLS Cup, and eight winning at least one Supporters' Shield. The same club has won both trophies six times. Several teams compete annually for secondary MLS rivalry cups that are typically contested by two teams, usually geographic rivals (e.g., New York vs D.C.). Each cup is awarded to the team with the better regular-season record in games played between the two teams. The concept is comparable to minor trophies played for by American college football teams. Since the 2015 season, teams are aligned as follows: #Shared facility; not a soccer-specific stadium #Team plans to move into a soccer-specific stadium External links * Category:American competitions Category:Competitions Category:Leagues Category:American leagues